Reviews
Resident Ensemble Players’ production of Arsenic and Old Lace
Austin Shakespeare’s production of Sense and Sensibility
SOME PRESS COMMENTS ON JR SULLIVAN
ABOUT FAITH HEALER (Chicago, 1995)
“Rhapsodic and riveting….superb revival, by director J. R. Sullivan and a flawless cast, is
spellbinding storytelling.” (Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Tribune)
“One of the most extraordinary pieces of theatre now on a Chicago stage…and under the
astute direction of J. R. Sullivan…searing performances….the whole production is
‘FANTASTIC!’ (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times)
“A tour de force of emotion…J. R. Sullivan has coached his talented three-some well, and
the result is theatre magic.” (Albert Williams, The Reader)
ABOUT WONDERFUL TENNESSEE (Chicago, 1995)
“Beautifully directed by J. R. Sullivan, this production sustains the tension between the
characters’ displays of happiness…and inner longings….” (Gabrielle Kaplan, The Reader)
“Wonderful Tennessee is just that….Director J. R. Sullivan, whose stunning production of
‘Faith Healer’ will be revived at Steppenwolf later this fall, has created one of those
ensembles that seems to breathe the same ether.” (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times)
“This diZicult and delicate work has been achieved to a great degree in the whirl of director
J. R. Sullivan’s production. He has orchestrated the rise and fall of Friel’s speeches, the ebb
and flow of the melodies that course through the language with skillful theatricality…”
(Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune)
ABOUT GOOD (Milwaukee, 1997)
“Wonder what influence a guest director can have on a theatre company? Exhibit A is
Theatre X’s don’t-miss production of ‘Good’ … Sullivan elicits precisely focused and
carefully crafted performances from everyone in the large cast…the result is a production
that will undoubtedly be one of the peaks of Milwaukee’s theater season.” (Damien Jaques,
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
ABOUT THE DESK SET (Washington DC, 1999)
“…directed with such sweet light-heartedness by J. R. Sullivan that it’s fully satisfying…the
production resembles a sophisticated, surprising toy. Sullivan has choreographed the
action as much as staged it, popping the actors in and out of doors and up and down
levels; if there were a banister, he’d slide them down it.” (Lloyd Rose, The Washington Post)
“smart, stylish and hilarious…director J. R. Sullivan never takes an unconfident step,
overseeing an inspired, first-rate production.” (Rick Muirraguii, The Potomac News)
ABOUT TRUDY BLUE (Washington, DC, 2001)
“(Marsha) Norman renders this psychological disarrary with precision, and director J. R.
Sullivan’s staging sweeps Ginger ujp in a waltz she can’t stop. Actors appear and vanish like
choreographed apparitions…” (Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post)
ABOUT 1001 AFTERNOONS IN CHICAGO (Chicago, 2001)
“…vivid life…winningly interlaced and adapted for the stage by writer Paul Peditto and
director J. R. Sullivan…it’s a big screen gem captured in a small space. Do whatever you
can to see it…” (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times)
ABOUT THE LARAMIE PROJECT (Madison, Wisconsin, 2003)
“The three act performance races by at lightning speed under J. R. Sullivan’s masterful
direction.” (Michael Muckian, The Capital Times)
ABOUT ROOM SERVICE (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 2005)
“The action is fast and furious in the first act, faster in the second, then picks up in the
third. J. R. Sullivan was given an A-team of comic actors, and he directs them deftly,
ratcheting the thing up as it goes.” (Mail Tribune)
ABOUT THE SYRINGA TREE (Washington DC, 2005)
“It’s rare that a show earns cultural-imperative status, but Studio Theatre’s production,
directed with subtle humanity by J. R. Sullivan, arouses both accolades and a sense of
urgency…’The Syringa Tree’ is a singular theatrical experience.” (Jayne Blanchard, The
Washington Times)
ABOUT WIDOWERS’ HOUSES (New York, 2005)
“…surprisingly mischievous….Anyone can dust oZ an old script like this but investing it with
a sparkle and a wink is an altogether diZerent skill, one that J. R. Sullivan, the director,
clearly has…the play couldn’t sound more modern.” (Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times)
ABOUT STONES IN HIS POCKETS (Utah Shakespeare Festival, 2005)
“Sullivan’s work is quietly skillful. He knows how to make sure the actors never overwhelm.
He never allows things to get sentimental. The result is a Broadway-level production that is
likely to stay with you for years to come.” (Anthony Del Valle, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
ABOUT PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD (New York, 2009)“…a rollicking oZ-Broadway
revival…J. R. Sullivan’s direction makes the most of the space…characters seem to tumble
in and out of the pub…Synge celebrated the power of the imagination, and this joyous
production does him proud.” (Jennifer Farrar, Associated Press)
ABOUT HARD TIMES (New York, 2010)
“…Directed with a sure command by J. R. Sullivan, this production would delight any
utilitarian: seamless and well-paced.” (Daniel M. Gold, New York Times Critic’s Pick)
ABOUT WITTENBERG (New York premiere, oZ-Broadway, 2011)
“…thanks in part to J.R. Sullivans sharp-eared, unhurried direction that (Playwright David)
Davalos’s intellectual inquiries coexist most comfortably with his anything for-a-laugh
tendencies…the high points of ‘Wittenberg’ are very high indeed, and Mr. Sullivan’s nimble
ensemble is nearly as comfortable with the theological heavy lifting as it is with the
lowbrow yuks….Hilarity, thy name is ‘Wittenberg.’” (Eric Grode, New York Times Critic’s
Pick)
ABOUT FAITH HEALER (Den Theater remount, Chicago, 2012)
“…Every second of Sullivan’s remount is riveting, thanks to a cast who manage to seem
deeply connected to one another even though they’re never onstage at the same time. I
didn’t see the original version, but it’s hard to imagine younger performers conveying the
same depth and erard-won experience.” (Zac Thompson, Chicago Reader)
ABOUT THIS SIDE OF NEVERLAND (New York, 2013)
“Pristinely directed by J. R. Sullivan….Don’t let the musical nostalgia and starchy dressing
gowns fool you, though; as Mr. Sullivan makes clear, J. M. Barrie’s words are disturbingly
current.” (Catherine Rampell, New York Times Critic’s Pick)
ABOUT DAYS TO COME (New York OZ=Broadway, 2018)
“…in the Mint Theatre production, under the direction of J. R. Sullivan…’Days to Come’ turns
out to be a gripping piece of storytelling, one whose failure [in 1936 original production] and
subsequent obscurity make no sense at all.” (Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal)
“It’s a gripping, lucid examination of the dangerous intersection of economic, social, and
personal forces.” (The New Yorker)